Congenital Heart Surgeons' Society

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Historian Report; Incremental CHSS History (2015-2018)
Constantine Mavroudis1, James Kirklin, MD2, William DeCampli, MD3.
1Florida Hospital for Children, Orlando, FL, USA, 2University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA, 3Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital, Orlando, FL, USA.

The history of the first 41 years of the Congenital Heart Surgeons Society (CHSS) was recorded in 2015 which chronicled the metamorphosis of a small informal meeting into a mature organization with by-laws, officers, committees, funded research, the Kirklin-Ashburn Fellowship, and a vision to become the premier organization of congenital heart surgery in North America. Chief among these transformations was the implementation and development of the CHSS Data Center. Member participation, Fellowship education, and significant outcomes research has been the hallmark of the CHSS.
This incremental historical review highlights the significant advances of the CHSS since 2015. Fifty-three CHSS Data Center manuscripts have been published. Citation scores (number of literature citations that each manuscript has accrued) have been collated and analyzed by cohort study, time, and citation score. The average citation score for all manuscripts was 75.4±76.3 (range 1-333). The Kirklin/Ashburn Fellowship continues to thrive with academic achievements and generous contributions to the endowment. The World Journal of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery has been adopted as the official organ of the CHSS. A Past President’s Dinner has been inaugurated serving as an unofficial senior non-binding advisory committee to the Executive Council. Toronto work weekends continue. The membership has grown.
Future considerations include: the size and duration of the annual meeting; the potential for increased membership; and political penetrance into the extant cardiothoracic organizations regarding committee appointments, Executive Council representation, and education initiatives. CHSS has achieved numerous advances during this incremental period.
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